Understanding the Relation of Listening and Nonverbal Communication

Listening and Nonverbal Communication
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Listening and Nonverbal Communication
Listening is what makes communication complete, and interpersonal relationships thrive where there is effective listening. As William Ury puts it, “listening may be the golden key that opens the door to human relationships” (Ury, 2015). A lot of focus has been placed on talking when it comes to communication while overlooking the other important aspects such as listening. Treasure (2011) defines listening simply as the ability to deduce meaning from sound. However, the definition falls short of the true meaning of attentive listening. Ury (2015) incorporates an additional aspect that is critical for effective communication: nonverbal communication. There exists a meaningful relationship between attentive listening and the observation of nonverbal cues.
Listening is more than just hearing the sound produced by the speaker. A lot of concentration, techniques such as pattern recognition, and the involvement of the cognitive function is required to translate what is heard to listening (Treasure, 2011). All the senses are involved to achieve active listening. By incorporating some nonverbal elements such as upright posture, maintaining eye contact, nodding, and even smiling to listening, the speaker becomes convinced that the audience is actually paying attention to what they are trying to convey. The use of nonverbal communication also encourages the speaker to go deeper into what they are saying.
Silence is another skillful use of nonverbal communication. It does not only raise the speakers' intuition but also helps them feel the presence of an audience. It also enables the listener to have a sense of empathy and understanding (Ury, 2015). Ury (2015) explains how he was able to draw the attention of the president of the Republic of Venezuela and calm him down by simply keeping quiet (Ury, 2015). Similarly, careful observation of...